Mobile devices have become ubiquitous, with most North American consumers having at least one mobile device. The trend in mobile devices is towards more advanced capable devices such as handheld mobile smartphones, netbooks and, more recently, tablet devices. Tablets in particular are lightweight and provide high resolution large touchscreen capabilities to enable large interactive graphical user interfaces.
Broadcast video, like digital television or IPTV, involves an in-home video receiver that tunes one of the channels broadcast over the cable or satellite network and outputs the tuned channel to a display device, like a TV. Such video receivers are usually controlled and operated by a handheld remote control device. The user interface for operating and controlling the video receiver tends to be rendered on the display device, like the TV. For example, the user interface may include displaying a title bar showing the channel number and program title, an electronic program guide, etc. Typically, the display of this user interface at least partly obscures the display of the program on the tuned channel. In some cases, the video program is rendered in a spatially compressed portion of the screen, such as in a window within the electronic program guide, to facilitate navigation of the electronic program guide while viewing the tuned channel.
It would be advantageous to leverage the features of mobile devices to control and facilitate the viewing of television programs.
Like reference numerals are used throughout the Figures to denote similar elements and features.